On the 13th of February 2020 I sadly lost one of my good friends Reece Gething. He was one of the liveliest, funniest and happiest people that I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. He would always bring a smile to my face even when I felt rock bottom.  He was forever putting himself before others and would always ask everybody how they were doing.   

The last time I spoke with Reece was on the walk home from school. I went to my training session that night. It was a normal Thursday like any other. When I got home, I went on social media and remember seeing people posting that Reece had just passed away. I wasn’t sure what to feel.  In all honesty I didn’t feel anything I was just in shock. It didn’t feel like it could be true. That night I must have only slept 2 hours my tummy felt like it had been kicked and kept churning.  That next morning at school was particularly hard as I had geography in which I used to sit 2 places away from Reece. I kept looking at his chair as I still couldn’t believe what had happened. I spent the lesson waiting for him to ask me to borrow a pen like he always did.  

I couldn’t sleep properly for weeks. For months I was taking detours to get into the centre of town as I couldn’t face walking past where he had passed away. I should’ve spoken more openly about how I felt as I kept it to myself and it was making me very upset. It has now been just over a year since I lost my friend, and I would like to do something in his name. 

Therefore, on the 22nd of May, our friend group will be cycling 100miles (161km) in one day. We will be raising money for the Good Grief Trust. This charity provides and ensures the correct support for anyone who has suffered a sudden bereavement to make the trauma slightly easier. 

We will be cycling 100miles, with around 2500m of vertical elevation. We will be carrying all our own food and equipment on our bikes with us for the whole trip and aim to complete it within one day.